The Host

Federal officers have instructed at the least 30 states to reinstate Medicaid and Kids’s Well being Insurance coverage Program protection for half one million individuals, together with youngsters, after an errant pc program wrongly decided they have been not eligible. It’s simply the newest hiccup within the yearlong effort to redetermine the eligibility of beneficiaries now that this system’s pandemic-era enlargement has expired.

In the meantime, the federal authorities is on the verge of a shutdown, as a small band of Home Republicans resists even a short-term spending measure to maintain the lights on beginning Oct. 1. Many of the largest federal well being applications, together with Medicare, produce other sources of funding and wouldn’t be dramatically impacted — at the least at first. However almost half of all staff on the Division of Well being and Human Companies can be furloughed, compromising how nearly every thing runs there.

This week’s panelists are Julie Rovner of KFF Well being Information, Rachel Roubein of The Washington Publish, Sandhya Raman of CQ Roll Name, and Sarah Karlin-Smith of Pink Sheet.

Among the many takeaways from this week’s episode:

• Officers in North Carolina introduced the state will increase its Medicaid program beginning on Dec. 1, granting hundreds of low-income residents entry to well being protection. With North Carolina’s change, simply 10 states stay that haven’t expanded this system — but, contemplating these states have resisted even because the federal authorities has supplied pandemic-era and different incentives, it’s unlikely extra will observe for the foreseeable future.
• The federal authorities revealed that just about half one million people — together with youngsters — in at the least 30 states have been wrongly stripped of their well being protection underneath the Medicaid unwinding. The announcement emphasizes the tight-lipped strategy state and federal officers have taken to discussing the in-progress effort, although some Democrats in Congress haven’t been so hesitant to criticize.
• The White Home is pointing to the potential results of a authorities shutdown on well being applications, together with issues enrolling new sufferers in medical trials on the Nationwide Institutes of Well being and conducting meals security inspections on the FDA.
• Individuals are grappling with an uptick in covid circumstances, because the Biden administration introduced a brand new spherical of free check kits obtainable by mail. However hassle accessing the up to date vaccine and questions on masking are illuminating the challenges of responding within the absence of a extra organized authorities effort.
• And the Biden administration is angling to handle well being prices on the government stage. The White Home took its first step final week towards banning medical debt from credit score scores, because the Federal Commerce Fee filed a lawsuit to focus on non-public fairness’s involvement in well being care.
• Plus, the White Home introduced the creation of its first Workplace of Gun Violence Prevention, headed by Vice President Kamala Harris.

Additionally this week, Rovner interviews KFF Well being Information’ Samantha Liss, who reported and wrote the newest KFF Well being Information-NPR “Invoice of the Month,” a few hospital invoice that adopted a deceased affected person’s household for greater than a yr. When you’ve got an outrageous or infuriating medical invoice you’d wish to ship us, you are able to do that right here.

Plus, for “further credit score,” the panelists recommend well being coverage tales they learn this week they assume you need to learn, too:

Julie Rovner: JAMA Inner Medication’s “Comparability of Hospital On-line Worth and Phone Worth for Shoppable Companies,” by Merina Thomas, James Flaherty, Jiefei Wang, et al.

Sarah Karlin-Smith: The Los Angeles Instances’ “California Employees Who Minimize Counter tops Are Dying of an Incurable Illness,” by Emily Alpert Reyes and Cindy Carcamo.

Rachel Roubein: KFF Well being Information’ “A A long time-Lengthy Drop in Teen Births Is Slowing, and Advocates Fear a Reversal Is Coming,” by Catherine Sweeney.

Sandhya Raman: NPR’s “1 in 4 Inmate Deaths Occur within the Similar Federal Jail. Why?” by Meg Anderson.

Additionally talked about on this week’s episode:

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